Tricky question for true tech-heads

[CreakyBrain]

Ok,

I have a Toshiba laptop that is perfectly configured with all the software I need, Win 2000 SP2, Office, all my data ... everything !!!

Now someone gave another laptop (an IBM) that I must now go throught the tedium of re-installing and re-configuring. Does anyone know of a quick and clever way to "ghost" everything from one laptop to another including software installations?

Best Regards,
Omar.

[GokuSS2]

It would work nicely if it weren't for the fact that they are different systems.

[NooNoo]

If the toshiba has a nic or a burner.. you could use ghost to transfer then run a repair install for 2k afterwards. But frankly sometimes the apparent long way is quicker than a short cut. ;)

[MacGyver]

My company has tried using Ghost to roll out laptops. Even on two laptops exactly the same, it doesn't always work. :( We gave up and basically install everything manually using a script we wrote out on paper.

[Rudders]

Get a hold of Trueimage (or similar imaging software), and an adaptor that lets you connect a laptop HD to a desktop. Then use Trueimage to create a backup "image" of your laptop drive on a desktop HD (as a file).

Then format the NEW laptop Hard disk. Then connect it to the desktop and transfer the image of your old laptop drive to your new one.
If the new laptop hard disk is larger, simply use a partition re-sizing utility to make the partition fill the new drive space, and you are done. (You could re-size at the end, once all is working on the NEW laptop, up to you...that's what I do!)

Boot up the new laptop (with the transferred image/resized partition) in SAFE MODE. Delete ALL your drivers from the System/Device manager screen, then re-boot (This way, you delete the chipset/PCI/devices for your old system and start afresh).

Reboot, and Windows will find/detect all the new required drivers for the new PC. It MIGHT ask you for the installation CD a time or two while it performs the search for new devices/drivers.

Sounds long winded but it works fine for me for both desktop AND Laptops.

I recently did this for an upgrade from 6.4 to 20 gig hard disk, and it worked seamlessly.

Rudders

[trev]

I'm with rudders, basically just format the drive in the IBM with the file system the Tosh is using, Use an adapter and connect the Tosh drive to a third machine (if you've got one). Xcopy the Tosh drive to the machine (seperate directory), re-connect to the IBM drive and X copy back.

Make sure you use the attributes /c /h /e /r /k to copy all the system files. And set the IBM partition to active after it's all done.

As long as win2K picks up the hardware changes ok you should be sorted. Done it on loads of desktops and a few laptops and normally works a treat.

Free and simple as long as you've got a third machine with enough free space.

[kato2274]

Originally posted by Rudders
Get a hold of Trueimage (or similar imaging software), and an adaptor that lets you connect a laptop HD to a desktop. Then use Trueimage to create a backup "image" of your laptop drive on a desktop HD (as a file).

Then format the NEW laptop Hard disk. Then connect it to the desktop and transfer the image of your old laptop drive to your new one.
If the new laptop hard disk is larger, simply use a partition re-sizing utility to make the partition fill the new drive space, and you are done. (You could re-size at the end, once all is working on the NEW laptop, up to you...that's what I do!)

Boot up the new laptop (with the transferred image/resized partition) in SAFE MODE. Delete ALL your drivers from the System/Device manager screen, then re-boot (This way, you delete the chipset/PCI/devices for your old system and start afresh).

Reboot, and Windows will find/detect all the new required drivers for the new PC. It MIGHT ask you for the installation CD a time or two while it performs the search for new devices/drivers.

Sounds long winded but it works fine for me for both desktop AND Laptops.

I recently did this for an upgrade from 6.4 to 20 gig hard disk, and it worked seamlessly.

Rudders

this seems like it would work well for 9x/Me but does it work for 2k. it seems like because the hal is different, you wouldn't even be able to get into safe modem before it blue screened because of the different hal.

and in 9x/me instead of deleting all the stuff from device manager, just regedit and delete HKLM/ENUM to force windows to redetect all hardware on next boot. works like a charm.

[PurpleDoc]

What are the chipsets of the two laptops. I have had good luck using ghost if the two chipsets are simular.

[techmonkey13]

I have had little luck in imaging computers of different hardware types. As mentioned earlier you may get lucky if Win2K can pick up the new devices. Be sure to use 'safe mode' when starting the computer for the first time.

[flyguy42]

Seems to me ghosting the drive would take longer in this case than just installing everything fresh in the ibm....

[tech_wannabe]

Yes it can be done. If both laptops have i800 series chipsets, then most of the hard work has been done. Go to http://www.gc.peachnet.edu/www/wbeck/ . Go to the section titled Adding Chipset INFs to Master XP Image . Download the zipped .cat and .inf files and follow the instructions. If both chip sets aren’t i800 it bets a little more difficult, as you will need to find the correct .inf’s and .cat’s.

If you set it up correctly Sysprep will take forever to run (30 minutes +).